Draft-equalizer.



PATENTED FEB; 11, 19 08 0. P. DYAR.

DRAFT EQUALIZER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15. 1906.

SJ woo n fez G ttoznu g Wi m uses n 1HENORRIS PETERS ca, wasumurau, u c,

CHARLES P. DYAR, OF MARIETTA, OHIO.

DRAFT-EQUALIZER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1908.

Application filed September 151 1906. Serial No. 384-806- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES P. DYAR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marietta, in the county of Washington, in the State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft- Equalizers, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates to draft equalizers.

It has for an object to provide a draft equalizer (preferably of the three horse type) which may be secured to the standard vehicle hounds and in which the weight of the entire equalizer is borne by the front vehicle axle and not by the horses.

A further object is to provide such an equalizer with freely swinging shafts.

Other and further objects will appear in the following description and will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of my invention attached to a vehicle, a portion only of the vehicle being shown. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of my invention with the shafts detached. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the manner in which the neck yokes are secured to the shafts.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates the vehicle axle from which extend the standard converging hounds 2. My invention contemplates the use of these hounds for the attachment and su port of the equalizer. For this purpose, I bolt to the under side of the equalizer draft beam, an equal distance from its center, two lighter wood-beams extending rearwardly, and diverging to fit inside the hounds. The rear ends of these light beams are connected by a third beam, framed or bolted to them. A solid flaring frame is then formed, having a center section of the draft equalizer for its front and the three light beams for its sides and man When placed in position, the equalizer draft beam rests on the hounds near their front ends and the frame is held in place by the ordinary bolt 5 that usually holds the vehicle tongue in place. The draft beam, of course, may be secured to the hounds in any other suitable manner. As the hounds are supported by the vehicle and the equalizer draft beam rests on the hounds, it follows that the weight of every art attached to the draft beam, except t e neck yokes and the front ends of the shafts, is

carried by the vehicle, leaving only a trifling weight to be'carried on the necks of three -1n at i Near the ends of the equalizer draft beam 3 are pivotally mounted two equalizing bars 6 and 7, the pivots of the bars being to one side of each of their middle portions, in such a position that equal ulls on the outer ends of the bars will equa me a like pull on both the inner or adjacent ends of the bars. To the outer ends of the bars 6 and 7 are connected the swingletrees 8 and 9, while the adjacent ends of the bars have connected to them a swingletree 10.

Pivotally connected to the front face of the beam 3 is the steering or guiding means prer- V erably in the 'form of shafts. The shafts consist of a cross bar 11 of metal piping having at its ends, elbows 12, into which are fitted small pipes or sockets 13. The wooden poles 14 are fitted into the sockets 13. The pivotal connection between the shafts and the beam 3 is formed by a pair of straps 15 which are secured at their ends to. the top andthe bottom of the beam, and pass about the bar 11 of the shafts. The middle horse is held between the two poles of the shafts, while the other two are positioned on opposite sides of the shafts.

'Upon the ends of the shafts are secured the neck yokes. For this purpose, each pole is provided at its free end with an axial bore in which freely works the shank 16 of a Y- shaped member. Between the two arms 17 of each Y-shaped member is pivoted a neck yoke 18. The pivot of each neck yoke is located to one side of the middle of the yoke, and the two adjacent ends of both neck yokes are connected together at 19. The outside horses are connected to the outer ends of the neck yokes, while the middle or inner horse is connected to the inner ends of both yokes. yokes and the poles permits the poles to move forward and backward and also up and down.

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination of the hounds, the draft beam, resting upon the hounds, a frame fitting said hounds, and supported therein, at its rear end, by a bolt, and connected at its forward end beneath the draft beam, equalizer bars having their weight supported by The connection between the the draft beam, and the steering orguiding of the equalizer,- and swingletrees connected 10 means pivoted to the draft beam. to the equalizer bars.

2. The combination of an equalizer; draft The foregoing specification signed this beam having a frame adapted to fit Within 12th day of September, 1906.

the hounds of a vehicle While the bea'mv'rests 7 upon the hounds so that its Weight is sup CHARLES D1 ported by the Vehicle, equalizer bars pine .In the presence of tWo Witnessesotally secured to and lying upon said beam, v A. L. GRACEY,

shafts pivotally connected to the'dr'a'ft beam A. L. SMITH. 

